Jilong congratulates Giti Pasand

Kuwait City: AFC Acting President Zhang Jilong congratulated Iran’s Sanaye Giti Pasand after being crowned the new kings of Asian club futsal following their hard-fought 2-1 victory over Uzbekistan’s Ardus in the AFC Futsal Club Championship Kuwait 2012 final. Speaking to www.the-afc.com after the final at the Yarmouk Indoor Stadium, Jilong, (in picture, right) who presented the trophy to Giti Pasand skipper Mohammed Keshavarz (in picture, left), said that the Iranians’ claiming back the title shows overall improvement of the game in the continent. “Firstly, I would like to congratulate Sanaye Giti Pasand and Iran futsal for once again emerging as the futsal powerhouse after they won the title in 2010," he said. “Other clubs across the continent should take inspirations from the Iranians’ performances and effort to take the game to a different level. “The clubs from Iran and Japan have been dominant forces in Asian futsal over the years and are continuing to do so but the emergence of clubs from Uzbekistan, Lebanon, Thailand, Qatar and Kuwait have proved that they are capable of going shoulder to shoulder with their big brothers of the continent. “I would also like to congratulate all the eight clubs, who came here and played a brilliant competitive futsal, I personally enjoyed the final which could have gone either way.” Jilong also thanked the Kuwait Football Association and its President HE Sheikh Talal Fahad Al Sabah for hosting the premier futsal club competition in Kuwait City. “It was one of the best organised futsal competitions I have ever seen in Asia. All the credit goes to the Local Organising Committee for their efforts in making this a success.”